As Featured in Mamamia
'I hear the word narcissist all the time in couple's therapy. That's not a good thing.'
The algorithm will have you believe it's true. Everyone is a narcissist.
As a psychologist, the number of times I hear the word narcissim — to describe a client, a partner or a loved one has increased significantly.
I have clients asking if they're narcissistic. They don't want to be hurting people if they are. (Hint: if you are sitting in a therapy room worried about that, it means you're probably not.)
Partners at couples therapy accuse their loved ones of it, saying, "he/she is a narcissist", or, "they're gaslighting me".
They've already diagnosed the problem, and in a lot of cases, their partners too.
In response to serious mental health labels being thrown around on social media, I find myself and others in the field now scrambling to correct the discourse.
In society's desperate attempt to make sense of pain in a relationship, have we all gone too far with therapy-speak? …
August 2026